It looks like the tussle between Delhi University (DU) and St Stephen's College over undergraduate (UG) admissions is not going to end anytime soon. The Delhi High Court on Friday, July 21, reserved its order on a plea by the college seeking interim relief against DU's order insisting on admissions under minority quota solely on the basis of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) score.
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad also reserved its order on the interim prayer in a similar petition by Jesus and Mary College. As an interim prayer, the two colleges sought to stay the December 8, 2022 decision of DU's Executive Council insisting on 100 per cent weightage for CUET score for admission till the disposal of the writ petitions, as per a report by PTI.
The pleas came up in pursuance to the Supreme Court's July 19 order asking the high court to consider with "requisite urgency" St Stephen's College's petition. Earlier, the HC had noted that there was an appeal pending before the apex court in the matter and had deferred the case. It had granted liberty to the parties to approach the top court for redressal.
Another petition
Apart from these pleas, a petition by a woman named Sharon Ann George against the interview process for minority students at St Stephen's is also pending in the HC. Represented by senior advocate Arun Bhardwaj and lawyer Akash Vajpai, George in her petition said that asking Christian students to appear for an interview is discriminatory.
"Aided minority educational institutions affiliated with Delhi University ought to follow the norm and procedure of Delhi University to maintain the uniformity and standard of excellence if it does change its minority status," her plea said.
It started with a prospectus
Last year, the college had brought out a prospectus which gave 85 per cent weightage to CUET and 15 per cent to college interviews for UG admissions. Later, the prospectus was withdrawn.
Holding that the rights accorded to a minority institution under the Constitution cannot be extended to non-minorities, in September 2022, the HC directed St Stephen's College to give 100 per cent weightage to the CUET 2022 score while granting admission to non-minority students in its UG courses.
However, the court mentioned that the college has the authority to conduct interviews in addition to CUET for admitting students belonging to the minority community. All the same, it could not force non-minority candidates to undergo the interview. The appeal before the SC is against this judgement.
Being a minority educational institution...
Earlier this year, St Stephen's College filed the petition against DU's notification, contending that being a minority educational institution, its right to select students for admission and administer educational institution under the Constitution cannot be interfered with or taken away, as per PTI.
"The impugned decision of the university denying the petitioner college its right to conduct interviews for admission to undergraduate courses in the minority category is contrary to the judgment of this Hon'ble Court dated September 12, 2022 in WP (C) No 8814/2022 in St Stephen's College Vs University of Delhi which recognised the petitioner's right to select students of minority category by conducting interviews," the college's petition stated.
